Finally, he will meet the eyes of those who have “Willed over fifteen years” of his life. On May 12, Dr. Marc-André Guerville will go to Marseille to testify before Jean Badache, his wife Viviane and their son Benjamin, the trio in the heart of the resounding Apollonia affair.

Dr. Guerville, 54, is one of the 762 civil parties, in this extraordinary correctional trial of an estimated real estate scam at … one billion euros.

The debates started on March 31, for more than two months, around 15 defendants. “Finally!”exclaims Dr. Guerville from his cabinet from Nice. The leaders of Apollonia were indicted and briefly imprisoned in 2009, when the justice has uncovered the unorthodox methods of this Aix company.

More than fifteen years have passed since, “With a lot of adventures. It’s long …”sighs Dr. Guerville.

Like this Nice practitioner, several dozen Azureans and Varois were ruined after giving in to the sirens of Apollonia.

At the time, Dr. Guerville was established in the Hautes-Alpes. Apollonia contacted him for the first time. It does not follow up. But when the real estate company returns to the charge, “We unfortunately fell into the panel”.

“So that we only see fire”

The principle? “They presented us with financial investments which were going to allow us to constitute a first row of real estate assets, with resales in a second step. A self-funding system which, at the end, made it possible to ensure additional retirement income.”

Student apartments, service residences … The goods offered come from large real estate groups.

For Marc-André Guerville, “It was part of the scam: surrounding yourself with big names so that you can only see fire, and make sure you never have contact with them.”

Another constant: the medical professions are targeted. Customers to which banks pay more easily. Assets very absorbed by their profession.

A job where “We trust, insists Dr. Guerville. This confidence, they did everything to establish it. They got into our family life. We were cocooned. They said to us, “Don’t worry, we manage everything!” At first, everything was going very well. We were completely ferred. All. »»

“A life to hide”

Then the first suspicions were born. They strengthen over the months. And one beautiful day, patatras. The Apollonia bubble bursts. The masks fall. The illusions fly away. Real estate has been largely overvalued, falsified income, excessive loans.

Dr. Guerville finds himself indebted to the tune of 2.3 million euros and banned banking.

Will follow “Daily concerns for years, constraints, solicitations of bailiffs, banks, procedures with lawyers to protect the little goods that we had. A life to hide, to get money in the morning so that it is not seized by the banks. A slightly bizarre life …”

This daily fight, Dr. Guerville and his wife lead him for their children, too, “Who grew up with the Apollonia affair. It is an ordeal, with ups and downs, wondering if we were not going to sink. We sometimes had to be accompanied”. These years do not catch up, even if, nuances this quinqua, “We have not missed everything! We have superb children, we work well, we are now able to take a vacation … We live. But we are in favor of our future.”

“Why were they so far?”

Today, Marc-André Guerville experiences “Lots of hatred, deeply”to those who sold him a mattress for the future.

“These are crooks. Professionals. They were very strong! A posteriori, we wonder why they were so far. When they started to have problems, they accelerated in real estate operations …”

At the dawn of the Apollonia trial, Me Frédéric Monneret, lawyer for the main accused, castigated “Avidity, greed” investors looking for tax optimization.

An argument “complicated to hear” For civil parties. “They were the ones who came to pick me up! We would never have mounted such a thing”strangles Marc-André Guerville, ulcerated.

Me Monneret intends to plead the release. Dr. Guerville, he wants the ex-leaders of Apollonia “are condemned as heavily as possible. This will not enrich us. But we can hope that the banks, which are civil, will be able to recover their sums. And leave us alone.”